Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to expose oneself to

to expose oneself to

203 5.6
To put yourself in a situation to experience something new or difficult
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : exponerse a
  • Any trip whatsoever exposes me to new issues, debates, and different ways of living.
  • expose oneself to risk
  • expose students to ideas
  • expose oneself to experiences

Examples

  • I should never have exposed her to this danger.

    The Man from Planet X (1951)

  • Moving to an urban area may expose movers to a wider range of opportunities.

    Academic text (2011)

  • How did you come to be exposed to it ?

    Videodrome (1983)

  • You exposed yourself to this kind of situation.

    Goal! (2005)

  • I'll accept that she might have been exposed to that language.

    The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

  • And now he was under doctor's orders to expose himself to more music.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • In coming here, you've exposed yourself to toxic gas.

    Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

  • You may not know that they're important yet, because you've never been exposed to them.

    The Shift (2009)

  • NRT is much safer than smoking and does not expose you to new risks.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Traveling abroad can expose oneself to new cultures and traditions that enrich your perspective.

Synonyms

to expose
vsto expose oneself to
479 3.2

Put someone in a situation where they can be harmed by something

is about deliberately making oneself experience things rather than putting others at risk
to explore
vsto expose oneself to
346 2.6

To go to a new place to learn about it

is about deliberately making oneself experience new things beyond only physical travel
to experiment
vsto expose oneself to
170 3.5

To try something new to see what effect it has

is about deliberately making oneself experience things, not only testing outcomes
to immerse
vsto expose oneself to
59 4.8

Make someone fully involved in an activity or interest

is about deliberately making oneself experience things without requiring total involvement
to broaden horizons
vsto expose oneself to
5 3.7

To learn new things and try new experiences

is about deliberately making oneself experience new or challenging things rather than long term range growth
to seek adventure
vsto expose oneself to
1 3.7

To look for new, exciting experiences that may be risky

is about deliberately making oneself experience new things not solely for thrill or risk
to break out of one's comfort zone
vsto expose oneself to
  • Informal
5.1

To do new or difficult things on purpose to learn and grow

is about deliberately making oneself experience new or challenging things broadly

Antonyms

to avoid
∞ 1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

to shun
26 4.6

To avoid someone or something and refuse to meet and speak to them on purpose

How Exposed

to immerse in
28 4.2
to dive in
  • Informal
23 3.7
to expose oneself to
203 5.6
to try
∞ 1.0
to avoid
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

expose oneself to infinitive
exposed oneself to past
exposed oneself to past participle
exposing oneself to present participle
exposes oneself to third person singular

Morphology

expose + oneself + to

The meaning is directly built from 'expose' (place in an unprotected/affected situation) + the reflexive 'oneself' (the subject affected) + the preposition 'to' (indicating what one is exposed to). This verb + reflexive + preposition composition is a regular, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will generally be able to infer the intended sense (context disambiguates other senses like 'expose oneself' meaning to undress).

Etymology

Expose oneself to comes from the idea of putting something into the light so it becomes visible, like when a photographer exposes film to light to make a photo appear. So, to expose oneself to new or difficult things is to put yourself where you will see or feel them on purpose — 'to experience or be affected by something'.